Zodwa Wabantu has responded to the questions regarding her HIV status, telling people that she refuses to be bullied into disclosing her status because of insensitive jokes and stereotypes around the disease.

Taking to Instagram, Wabantu addressed the rumours by saying that she will never disclose her HIV status. She also slammed that people can joke about something so serious as people who are living with the disease, also have to still deal with the social stigma attached to it.

Speaking to TsihisaLIVE, Zodwa explained that she decided to speak out on the stigmas around the disease after constantly being told she was going to get Aids because she was promiscuous.

A post shared by zodwalibram (@zodwalibram) on Dec 4, 2018 at 7:48am PST

“I have friends who are infected by HIV/ Aids and who are constantly looked down upon. As Zodwa I stand up for the people. I have grown up being called a b*tch and a wh*re. People always make jokes about HIV and say that I sleep around and I should be HIV positive or that it will catch up with me.

“I am not the kind of person that will get sensitive and defend myself. Instead, I will fight back. It is not their right to ‘out’ people or force people to reveal their status. They are being bullies if they are and so I will tell them that. Your status is your business. It is yours, embrace it. Don’t allow others to make a mockery of it,” – she told the publication.

Era Baloyi is a Copywriter, Social Media Manager, Public Relations and Communications practitioner who is Co-Founder and CEO of Fame Africa TV. He's been with Fame Africa TV since 2014 and he's seen how the magazine grew. He focuses more on entertainment, music and movie reviews.